Locking stabilized carry-out food container

ABSTRACT

A food container for the transport of take-out food which has notches on its four corners that permit the separate top of the container to lock together with the bottom part of the container. The container cover has corner notches which help prevent the covers from jamming together when stacked in a food establishment. The container may have compartmental dividers with heights that extend up to the top of the top cover to prevent unintended mixture of the food in the separate compartments.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

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STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

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THE NAMES OF THE PARTIES TO A JOINT RESEARCH AGREEMENT

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INCORPORATION BY REFERENCE OF MATERIAL SUBMITTED ON A COMPACT DISC

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BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION Prior Art

This invention relates to a carry-out food container which is commonly used in the restaurant industry. Most restaurants provide these containers for their customers who wish to carry out their food. The containers are made in different shapes and sizes, and most have hinged lids. Restaurant carry out containers are usually made of polystyrene or plastic material. Polystyrene containers are generally not stable when carried, which often results in the food being carried to move around and co-mingle with other food items in the container. In addition, the lid easily separates from the bottom part of the container. Plastic containers have also had problems of stability, and the top easily separates from the bottom part of the container, especially when they are not hinged together.

Plastic food containers are generally more attractive to customers. When a plastic carry-out container is used, there is a need to secure the top part of the container (the lid) to the bottom so that the food remains in place in the container and secure from spilling out of the compartments. This also allows the customer to use the container as a dish to eat from directly. A container which has a locking mechanism is therefore beneficial to the customer and the restaurant.

In servicing customers, it is also important to be able to stack the containers so that they do not jam into one another and have to be pulled apart. This saves time for the restaurant employee, especially when the restaurant gets busy.

The present invention addresses these problems by providing an attractive see-through plastic container with choice of compartment dividers, and which lock the lid to the bottom to avoid spillage and make transporting the food easier. The containers also have a design that provides added strength and stability and are easily stackable by restaurant employee.

Mantis, U.S. Pat. No. 7,451,889 B2, utilizes a conventional polystyrene carry out container which are hinged, contain compartments, and have a closing mechanism for keeping the lid and bottom joined together. The problem with that invention is the container is not attractive for display purposes, is not easily stacked at the restaurant, and does not have a sturdy locking device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is a take-out food container, which may incorporate a design, which is see-through, locks securely, is stable, stacks easily and has a moisture resistant top.

It is the principal object of this invention to provide a see-through food container which has locking mechanisms that will prevent the lid from separating from the container bottom.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a compartmentalized food container which prevents different foods to come in contact with each other when the container is transported from one place to another.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a device on the container which will enable the containers to be stacked without jamming into each other.

It is a further object of this invention that the containers do not easily bend and are stable when carried or utilized.

It is a further object of this invention that the container be moisture resistant when carrying certain foods, such as hot foods.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the overlapping (snapover) lid Locking Stabilized Carry Out Container.

FIG. 2 is a fragmented detailed view of the locking and stacking notches shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the overlapping lid container in locked position.

FIG. 4 is a fragmented perspective view of the locking and stacking notches of the overlapping lid container.

FIG. 5 is a fragmented cross-section view of the container in closed position as shown in FIG. 3

FIG. 6 is a fragmented close-up view of the locking mechanism shown in FIG. 5

FIG. 7 is a top perspective view of the lid and bottom of a snap-in locking container

FIG. 8 is a top perspective view of a closed snap-in locking container with latch to remove lid

FIG. 9 is a fragmented perspective view of pull latch for snap-in lock as shown in FIG. 8

FIG. 10 is a fragmented cross-section of a closed snap-in lock

FIG. 11 is a fragmented view of the locking notch as shown in FIG. 10

FIG. 12 is a top perspective view of the lid for snap-in locking container showing heights of bottom dividers

FIG. 13 is perspective view of container showing heights of dividers

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of container showing relative heights of dividers in closed container

DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to FIG. 1, there is shown a food container made of polystyrene, a plastic chemical compound which comes in sheets and is molded into shapes and assembled by gluing. The top (lid) 10 contains notches in the four corners 6 which snap over 12, 18 the flange of the container bottom. 4 The lid 10 has a flange about its periphery. The lid also contains notches adjacent to each corner 16 which prevents the lids from jamming into each other when stacked 22. The polystyrene on the inside of the lid is impervious to moisture. 20 The rib design on the container 2 provides greater strength and stability to the container in transporting food.

The snap-in locking tops, as depicted in FIG. 8, contain notches on the top, or lid 6, which snap in below the flange around the periphery of the lower part of the container. The lid contains a latch on one of the corners of the lid 33 to enable the container to unlock easily by pulling on it. 26

An optional feature of the container is the choice of no dividers, standard dividers, and high dividers. The high dividers 8, as depicted in FIGS. 13 and 14, extend up to the top part of the lid, thereby assuring the integrity of the food in each compartment by preventing spillage from one compartment to another, which is a common problem in transporting food in carry-out food containers.

It is obvious that the locking and stacking features of the invention are well suited to their intended purpose. Both the overlap locking or snapover and the snap-in locking containers provide a secure method of keeping the lid and bottom of the take-out food container secure for the purpose of transporting food.

It is also obvious that the stacking notch of the containers is well suited to its intended purpose of preventing or eliminating jamming of container covers which will save time in busy restaurants.

It is also obvious that the extended height dividers in the containers are well suited to their intended purpose of preventing food in different compartments of the container from inter-mingling. 

1. A take-out food container made of transparent polystyrene which provide a lock which snaps in place to secure the top part of the container to the bottom part of the container through the use of notches embedded on the corners of the containers.
 2. A take-out food container which is stackable without jamming, thereby saving labor time in the food industry.
 3. A take-out food container which has extended compartment divider heights to the top of the container cover, thereby preventing food spillage from one compartment to another. 